The present invention relates to device for controlling a system for monitoring the environment of an aircraft, in particular of a transport aircraft.
Within the framework of the present invention, said monitoring system can relate in particular to at least one of the following known systems:
a system of the TCAS type (xe2x80x9cTraffic Collision Avoidance Systemxe2x80x9d) for monitoring air traffic in the environment of the aircraft, so as to prevent collisions;
a system of the WXR type (xe2x80x9cWeather Radarxe2x80x9d) for monitoring the weather; or
a system of the TAWS type (xe2x80x9cTerrain Awareness and Warning Systemxe2x80x9d) for monitoring the surrounding terrain.
One is aware that each of these known monitoring systems implements controllable functions, which pertain to the corresponding monitoring of the environment, that is to say which relate directly or indirectly to this monitoring. Moreover, each of these monitoring systems includes a control device comprising a plurality of control elements which are capable of being actuated by an operator, in particular a pilot of the aircraft, so as to control all the controllable functions of said monitoring system.
Generally, such a control device includes a particular hardware control system comprising a panel furnished with a plurality of hardware control elements, such as push-buttons and lever-operated reversers in particular.
Such a control device exhibits a few drawbacks. In particular, when a control element of the aforesaid type is defective, it is no longer possible to control the function associated therewith, this of course being a great impediment and moreover possibly posing safety problems, in particular when this function relates directly to an important function, such as an anticollision function for example.
Moreover, such a control device is hardly adaptable, that is to say it cannot be easily tailored to the implementation of the control of new functions. Specifically, when installing new functions on the corresponding monitoring system, it is in particular necessary to replace the existing control panel with a new panel furnished with additional control elements tailored to these new functions and to modify the electrical leads accordingly, this of course being lengthy and expensive.
The present invention relates to a control device for controlling controllable functions relating to the monitoring of the environment of an aircraft, in particular a civil transport aircraft, which makes it possible to remedy the aforesaid drawbacks.
To this end, said control device comprising a first control system of a first type, comprising a plurality of control elements which are capable of being actuated by an operator, so as to control all said controllable functions, is noteworthy in that it furthermore comprises at least one second control system of a second type different from said first type, which comprises a plurality of control elements which are capable of being actuated by an operator, so as to control at least some of said controllable functions, and in that said first and second control systems are in interaction so that an actuation of at least one of the control elements of one of said control systems, so as to control one of said functions such as to bring it into a controlled state, automatically brings about an action, as the case may be on at least one control element of the other control system which is also intended to control this function, in such a way as to bring this control element into a control state which is representative of said controlled state of said function.
Thus, by virtue of the invention, when a control element of one of said control systems is faulty, the function which is associated with this faulty control element can still be controlled by the appropriate control element of the other control system. Consequently, the control device in accordance with the invention is especially reliable.
Furthermore, since the two control systems are systems of different types, the operator can choose the one which is most convenient for him, either throughout the flight, or temporarily as a function of the flight phases and/or conditions, thereby affording great flexibility of use and increasing the comfort of the operator in the execution of his tasks relating to the monitoring of the environment.
Moreover, by virtue of the interaction between the two control systems, that is to say of the reciprocal action between two control elements (respectively of each of said two control systems) associated with one and the same function, which makes it possible to bring the nonactuated control element into an appropriate control state, an operator can go indiscriminately and without difficulty, at any moment, from one system to the other, for example as a function of the urgency of the control, of the corresponding flight phase or of the position of the operator with respect to these two control systems. Moreover, as each control element is, by virtue of the invention, at any moment in a position representative of the controlled state of the associated function, the operator is always informed of the actual state of the controls and the various controls can always be effected with great precision.
Within the framework of the present invention, the two relevant control systems (or even more) may be of various known types. However, preferably, at least one of said control systems is:
a software system comprising a screen furnished with responsive objects corresponding to said control elements, which are capable of being actuated indirectly by way of a known appropriate means, such as a mouse or a trackball for example. Such a software system is easily adaptable, that is to say new control elements can be easily added, through a simple tailoring of its software, without having to modify the architecture of said control system. It can therefore be tailored at very low cost, rapidly and easily, to new functions of the monitoring system; or
a hardware system comprising manual control elements, which are capable of being actuated directly by an operator. Generally, such a control system is very robust and its standard type actuation is fully perfected by pilots.
In a preferred embodiment, said first control system is a software system, said second control system is a hardware system, and said second control system is intended to control only some of said controllable functions, preferably the functions which are considered to be the most important as regards the monitoring of the environment which is implemented.
The control device in accordance with this preferred embodiment of the invention exhibits, simultaneously, in particular the following advantages:
it is reliable, by virtue of the presence of two control systems;
at any moment it allows control with great precision indiscriminately by way of the two control systems, by virtue of the interaction between these two control systems;
it is easily adaptable, by virtue of the characteristics of said software system; and
it is robust, by virtue of the characteristics of said hardware system.
Additionally, advantageously, at least one of said manual control elements of said hardware system is intended to control a function with two states, which is capable of being activated and deactivated, and said hardware system comprises at least one indicator light which is associated with said control element and which:
comes on automatically when said function is activated; and
goes off automatically when said function is deactivated.
Moreover, advantageously, at least one of said manual control elements of said hardware system is intended to control a function capable of taking, on each occasion, one of a plurality of controlled states, and said control element comprises a rotary element, for example a rotary button, whose rotational position is representative of the controlled state of said function.
The present invention also relates to a system for monitoring the environment of an aircraft, comprising a plurality of controllable functions relating to the monitoring of the environment and a control device for controlling these controllable functions.
According to the invention, said monitoring system is noteworthy in that said control device is such as that mentioned above.
Preferably, said monitoring system comprises:
three clusters of controllable functions, which are intended for the monitoring respectively of air traffic, the weather and the terrain; and
a single control device for controlling these three clusters of controllable functions.